Strategic Deception & People-Watching
A Taster of University-Level Psychology
Dr. Gordon Wright
Welcome to Psychology at University
Deception & People-Watching
Prepare to have your assumptions challenged
Before We Start…
A Warning:
- Today you’ll learn skills that could be misused
- We’re teaching you for protection, not manipulation
- With knowledge comes responsibility
- Psychology is powerful - use it ethically
Our Goal:
Transform you from psychology consumers to psychological scientists
DEMONSTRATION: Die Under the Cup
The Setup
I need a volunteer!
The Challenge:
- I’ll place a die under an opaque cup
- You’ll “guess” the number showing
- But I’m going to help you guess correctly
- WITHOUT saying a word about the die
- WITHOUT looking at the die myself
Ready to see some “mind-reading”?
Let’s Do This!
[LIVE DEMONSTRATION]
Volunteer comes up, die is rolled, “mind-reading” occurs
What Just Happened?
Audience - What Did You Observe?
- What nonverbal behaviours did they exhibit (posture, gestures, eye contact)?
- What linguistic patterns did they use (tone, pace, word choice, errors)?
- What psychological signals did they send (confidence, warmth, authority, curiosity, terror, concentration)?
- What emotions did they display (fear, anger, sadness, happiness, surprise, disgust)?
- What rapport-building signals were exchanged between us?
Let’s Analyze This Like Scientists…
Let’s think about what we could measure in the lab!
Audience - What Could You Measure?
- What nonverbal behaviours did they exhibit (posture, gestures, eye contact)?
- What linguistic patterns did they use (tone, pace, word choice, errors)?
- What psychological signals did they send (confidence, warmth, authority, curiosity, terror, concentration)?
- What emotions did they display (fear, anger, sadness, happiness, surprise, disgust)?
- What rapport-building signals were exchanged between us?
The Science Behind the “Magic”
Multiple Techniques at Work:
- Cold Reading: Statistical guessing + feedback
- Body Language Reading: Micro-expressions and reactions
- Ideomotor Effect: Unconscious physical responses
- Arousal & Leakage: subtle physiological responses
- Psychological Pressure: Motivational impairment
- Linguistic Cues: Word choice, tone, pace, errors
This isn’t magic - it’s applied psychology!
The Ideomotor Effect
Quick Demo: Dowsing for water
[Scientific equipment required]
Your unconscious mind moves your hand based on expectations
- Think “water” → rods swing one way
- Think “no water” → rods swing another way
- You’re not consciously controlling it - maybe you’re just a psychic?
Same principle applies to die guessing - micro-movements can give away answers
Little Monkey
A-Level vs University Thinking
A-Level View:
- Lying = morally wrong
- Honesty = always best
- Simple moral judgments
- Black and white thinking
- “Good people don’t lie”
University View:
- Deception = complex cognitive skill
- Multiple functions and contexts
- Sophisticated analysis needed
- Evidence-based understanding
- “Strategic communication serves many purposes”
The Shocking Truth About Lying
Research suggests…
Research Findings:
- Average person tells 1-2 lies per day
- Most lies are prosocial (protecting others’ feelings)
- Learning to lie enhances cognitive abilities
- Deception requires advanced executive function
- Good liars have superior theory of mind
- Some lies actually increase trust between people
Your brain on deception is your brain on advanced cognitive training!
Cognitive Benefits of Deception Training
Ding et al. (2018) - Breakthrough Study:
- 42 children randomly assigned to deception training
- 4 days of strategic lying practice
- Results: Significant improvements in:
- Executive function
- Working memory
- Theory of mind
- Cognitive flexibility
First causal proof that learning to deceive makes you smarter!
What Your Brain Does When You Lie
The Cognitive Orchestra:
- Suppress the truthful response (inhibition)
- Generate a plausible alternative (creativity)
- Track both true and false information (working memory)
- Monitor the target’s reactions (theory of mind)
- Manage your own expressions (emotional regulation)
- Adapt your story based on feedback (cognitive flexibility)
What Your Brain Does When You Lie
- Suppress truthful response
- Generate plausible alternative
- Track both true and false information
- Monitor target’s mental state
- Manage emotional displays
This is advanced cognitive multitasking at its finest!
Individual Differences Matter
Better Liars Have:
- Higher working memory
- Enhanced theory of mind
- Superior executive function
- Strategic thinking skills
Meta-Analysis Results:
- 47 papers, 5,099 participants
- Theory of mind: r = .17
- Executive function: r = .13
Deception in the wild
Prosocial Deception as Social Lubricant
DePaulo’s Groundbreaking Research
- People tell 1-2 lies daily
- Most lies are prosocial, not selfish
- Examples:
- “Your haircut looks great!”
- “I’m fine” (when stressed)
- “Sorry I’m late, traffic was terrible”
These lies maintain relationships and protect feelings
Revolutionary Trust Research
Levine & Schweitzer (2015) - Four Experiments
Shocking finding: Prosocial lies increase interpersonal trust
- Participants trusted prosocial liars more than truth-tellers
- Contradicts fundamental assumptions about honesty
- Suggests evolutionary adaptive function
Cultural Sophistication Required
Canadian Adults
87% categorize prosocial deception as “lying”
Chinese Adults
52% categorize same scenarios as “lying”
Implication: Need sophisticated social intelligence to navigate cultural contexts appropriately
Taxonomy of Lying Motives
- Instrumental: Avoiding punishment
- Relational: Maintaining relationships
- Identity: Protecting self-image
- Protective: Shielding others from harm
Neurological evidence: Altruistic deception produces smaller moral conflict responses
Part 3: Applied Contexts
Where Strategic Deception Provides Advantages
Business & Negotiation
- Strategic deception in 30-100% of negotiations
- Schweitzer’s Wharton research: Measurable advantages
- Required skills:
- Reading opponents’ mental states
- Managing information asymmetries
- Calibrating disclosure timing
Not about being dishonest - about strategic communication
Therapeutic Applications
Over 90% of therapists use strategic self-disclosure
- Positive outcomes for therapeutic alliance
- Enhanced client progress
- Motivational interviewing: OR: 1.55 (95% CI: 1.40-1.71)
- Strategic vs. direct confrontation
Political & Leadership Communication
- Crisis communication protocols
- Change management strategies
- Diplomatic communication
- Required mechanisms:
- Priming effects
- Strategic framing
- Memory-based opinion formation
Dating & Relationships
- Strategic self-presentation crucial for relationship initiation
- Graduated self-disclosure patterns
- Cultural variations in acceptable strategies
- Impression management skills
Research shows this predicts relationship success
Part 4: Protection Benefits
Understanding Deception to Protect Yourself
The Lie Detection Problem
Human lie detection accuracy: 54% (barely above chance)
- Most people are terrible at detecting lies
- Overconfident in their abilities
- Rely on unreliable cues (fidgeting, eye contact)
But understanding production improves detection
Cognitive Load Approaches
Aldert Vrij’s research breakthrough:
- Traditional detection: ~54% accuracy
- Cognitive load methods: 60-75% accuracy
- Informed observers: 75.81% accuracy
- Naive observers: 52.37% accuracy
Key insight: Understanding how lies are constructed helps you spot them
Training Effectiveness
Hauch et al. (2014) Meta-Analysis:
- 30 studies, 2,847 trainees
- Medium effect size (r = .20)
- Best results: Understanding deception mechanisms
- Worst results: Focusing on behavioral “tells”
Emotional Regulation Benefits
Learning deception control enhances:
- Facial expression management
- Emotional display control
- Stress management abilities
- Professional effectiveness
Applications: Negotiation, customer service, conflict resolution
Protection from Manipulation
- Inoculation theory applications
- Forewarning effects
- Particularly important for older adults
- Financial fraud resistance
- Social manipulation awareness
Part 5: The Complexity
Individual Differences & Sophistication
Personality Patterns
Most Sophisticated Liars:
- Intelligent extraverts
- Low agreeableness
- Strategic thinkers
- High working memory
Dark Triad Traits:
- Narcissism
- Machiavellianism
- Psychopathy
Complex interactions between personality factors
Developmental Trajectory
- Under 5: Cannot conceal incriminating knowledge
- 5-7: Basic deception emerges
- 8-12: Strategic sophistication develops
- Adolescence: Adult-level abilities
Deception as cognitive milestone, not moral failure
Gender & Cultural Differences
Gender Patterns:
- Men: More active strategies
- Women: More indirect approaches
- Different effectiveness patterns
Cultural Variations:
- Strategy effectiveness varies
- Social acceptance differs
- Context sensitivity required
Part 6: Research Gaps
What We Still Need to Learn
Understudied Areas
- Digital deception contexts (social media, VR)
- Long-term consequences of deception training
- Diverse populations beyond Western samples
- Professional applications (education, healthcare)
- Neurodiversity considerations (autism, ADHD)
Future Directions
- Ecological validity studies
- Longitudinal developmental research
- Cross-cultural validation
- Ethical frameworks for emerging technologies
- Integration of neuroscience with applications
Synthesis
What This Means for Psychology
Key Takeaways
- Deception is a sophisticated cognitive skill
- Provides measurable benefits (cognitive, social, protective)
- Serves important adaptive functions
- Requires complex psychological understanding
- Challenges simple moral frameworks
University-Level Thinking
A-Level: “Lying is wrong”
University: “Deception is a complex psychological phenomenon requiring rigorous scientific investigation”
- Consider individual differences
- Examine cultural variations
- Analyze developmental trajectories
- Evaluate applied contexts
- Integrate multiple methodologies
Methodological Sophistication
This research includes:
- Neuroimaging studies
- Cross-cultural comparisons
- Longitudinal developmental designs
- Randomized controlled trials
- Meta-analytic approaches
This is psychology at its most rigorous
Implications for Practice
Personal Benefits:
- Enhanced lie detection
- Better emotional regulation
- Improved social navigation
- Protection from manipulation
Professional Applications:
- Negotiation skills
- Therapeutic effectiveness
- Leadership communication
- Conflict resolution
Ethical Considerations
- Not advocating for harmful deception
- Focus on prosocial applications
- Understand mechanisms for protection
- Develop sophisticated moral reasoning
- Consider cultural contexts
Sophisticated ethics require sophisticated understanding
Discussion Questions
Think About…
How does this research challenge your previous assumptions about lying?
What are the ethical implications of teaching deception skills?
How might cultural differences affect the appropriateness of strategic deception?
What other psychological phenomena might benefit from moving beyond simple moral judgments?
Further Reading
- Ding et al. (2018): “Learning to deceive has cognitive benefits”
- Levine & Schweitzer (2015): “Prosocial lies: When deception breeds trust”
- Christ et al. (2009): Meta-analysis of deception neuroscience
- Vrij (2019): “Deception and truth detection when analyzing nonverbal and verbal cues”
- Hauch et al. (2014): “Does training improve the detection of deception?”
Questions?
Welcome to university-level psychological thinking
Where complex questions require sophisticated, evidence-based answers
DEMONSTRATION 2: People-Watching Science
The People-Watching Challenge
I need several volunteers for this one!
The Setup: - Two volunteers will have a brief conversation - The rest will observe and make judgments - We’ll test what you can actually detect from watching others - No audio - visual information only
Ready to put your people-watching skills to the test?
The Scenarios
Volunteers will act out different relationships:
- Scenario A: Two friends meeting after summer holidays
- Scenario B: Two strangers meeting for the first time
- Scenario C: Two people who secretly dislike each other
- Scenario D: Two people with a romantic interest
Observers: Can you tell which is which?
[LIVE PEOPLE-WATCHING DEMONSTRATION]
Volunteers perform scenarios
Audience observes and records judgments
Let’s Analyze Your Observations
What Cues Did You Use?
Physical Cues: - Proximity/distance - Body orientation - Facial expressions - Hand gestures - Posture changes
Behavioral Cues: - Eye contact patterns - Mirroring behaviors - Response timing - Conversation flow - Tension indicators
The Science of Third-Party Encounters
What Research Shows We Can Actually Detect:
- Relationship type (friends vs. strangers) - 75% accuracy
- Power dynamics - who’s in charge
- Romantic interest - cross-culturally universal
- Deception in interactions - when people are lying to each other
- Group cohesion - how well teams work together
- Emotional states - stress, excitement, discomfort
Your brain has specialized networks for reading social interactions!
Three Brain Networks at Work
Person Perception Network
- Processes faces and bodies
- Identifies individuals
- Reads basic emotions
Action Perception Network
- Interprets movements
- Understands intentions
- Predicts next actions
Mentalizing Network
- Attributes mental states
- Infers thoughts and beliefs
- Predicts social behavior
THE LIE DETECTION COMPETITION
Competition Rules
🏆 LIE DETECTION CHAMPIONSHIP 🏆
PRIZE: Goldsmiths Psychology Mug + Bragging Rights
How It Works:
- Volunteers will tell true and false stories
- Audience votes on truth vs. lie
- Highest accuracy wins!
- But first… let’s learn the science
Why Humans Are Terrible Lie Detectors
The Depressing Statistics:
- Average accuracy: 54% (barely better than chance!)
- Police officers: 55%
- Judges: 57%
- CIA agents: 64%
- Secret Service: 64%
Even “experts” are pretty bad at this!
Common Lie Detection Myths
Things That DON’T Indicate Lying:
- ❌ Avoiding eye contact (cultural variation)
- ❌ Fidgeting or nervousness (could be anxiety)
- ❌ Touching nose/face (just normal behavior)
- ❌ Pausing before speaking (could be thinking)
- ❌ Changes in voice pitch (emotional, not deceptive)
TV shows have taught us wrong!
What ACTUALLY Works: Cognitive Load Approach
Vrij’s Research-Based Method:
- Increase cognitive demand on the storyteller
- Truth-tellers can handle extra cognitive load
- Liars struggle because they’re already working hard
- Ask unexpected questions that break prepared scripts
- Look for inconsistencies in detailed narratives
This gets 70%+ accuracy in lab studies!
Competition Strategy Session
Evidence-Based Lie Detection Tips:
- Listen for detail richness - true stories have more sensory details
- Ask follow-up questions - liars struggle with unexpected queries
- Notice confidence levels - overconfidence can indicate deception
- Watch for cognitive strain - lying is mentally exhausting
- Look for micro-expressions - brief flashes of real emotion
- Consider baseline behavior - how does this person normally act?
Meet Your Contestants!
Contestant 1: [Volunteer Name]
Will tell one true story, one false story
Contestant 2: [Volunteer Name]
Will tell one true story, one false story
Contestant 3: [Volunteer Name]
Will tell one true story, one false story
Round 1: True or False?
Contestant 1’s Stories:
Story A: [Volunteer tells first story]
Story B: [Volunteer tells second story]
Audience: Vote now!
- Show of hands for Story A being true
- Show of hands for Story B being true
Round 2: True or False?
Contestant 2’s Stories:
Story A: [Volunteer tells first story]
Story B: [Volunteer tells second story]
Audience: Vote now!
- Show of hands for Story A being true
- Show of hands for Story B being true
Round 3: True or False?
Contestant 3’s Stories:
Story A: [Volunteer tells first story]
Story B: [Volunteer tells second story]
Audience: Vote now!
- Show of hands for Story A being true
- Show of hands for Story B being true
The Reveals!
Contestant 1:
- Story A: [TRUE/FALSE]
- Story B: [TRUE/FALSE]
Contestant 2:
- Story A: [TRUE/FALSE]
- Story B: [TRUE/FALSE]
Contestant 3:
- Story A: [TRUE/FALSE]
- Story B: [TRUE/FALSE]
Competition Results!
🏆 AND THE WINNER IS… 🏆
[Count hands and declare winner]
Accuracy: X out of 6 correct
That’s X% - better than chance!
Congratulations! You’ve just experienced university-level psychology in action!
What This Means for Your Future
Beyond Party Tricks
Why This Matters:
- Critical thinking skills - question what you see
- Research literacy - understand how evidence is gathered
- Communication skills - read between the lines
- Professional applications - therapy, education, business
- Personal protection - avoid manipulation and fraud
- Social understanding - navigate complex relationships
Career Applications
Clinical Psychology
- Therapeutic rapport building
- Detecting client deception
- Reading non-verbal cues
- Building trust
Forensic Psychology
- Interviewing techniques
- Court assessments
- Risk evaluation
- Victim support
Business Psychology
- Negotiation skills
- Team dynamics
- Leadership assessment
- Customer relations
Research Psychology
- Experimental design
- Data interpretation
- Peer review
- Publication ethics
The Research Behind Today’s Demos
Key Studies You Should Know:
- Ding et al. (2018): Deception training enhances cognition
- Vrij et al. (2019): Cognitive load lie detection
- Quadflieg & Penton-Voak (2017): Third-party encounter perception
- Levine & Schweitzer (2015): Prosocial lies increase trust
- Bond & DePaulo (2006): Meta-analysis of lie detection accuracy
This is what university psychology looks like - evidence-based, rigorous, applicable
Methodological Sophistication
How We Study These Phenomena:
- Neuroimaging (fMRI) - brain activity during deception
- Eye-tracking - where people look during social observation
- Physiological measures - stress responses to lying
- Cross-cultural studies - universal vs. cultural patterns
- Longitudinal research - development of skills over time
- Meta-analyses - combining results across studies
Ethical Considerations
With Great Power…
Ethical Guidelines for Psychological Skills:
- Consent and transparency - don’t manipulate without permission
- Beneficence - use skills to help, not harm
- Cultural sensitivity - respect different norms and values
- Professional boundaries - maintain appropriate relationships
- Continued learning - stay updated on best practices
- Supervision and support - seek guidance when needed
The Dark Side
How These Skills Can Be Misused:
- Manipulation and exploitation - taking advantage of others
- Fraud and deception - financial or emotional scams
- Invasion of privacy - reading people without consent
- Stereotyping and bias - making unfair judgments
- Professional misconduct - violating ethical codes
This is why we need ethical training alongside skill development
What’s Next?
If This Interests You…
At Goldsmiths You Could:
- Join our Forensic Psychology Unit - solve real cases
- Participate in deception research - contribute to knowledge
- Learn advanced statistics - R programming for data analysis
- Study cross-cultural psychology - global perspectives
- Conduct your own research - dissertation projects
- Present at conferences - share your findings
Year 1 Modules That Build On Today
Research Methods & Statistics
- Experimental design
- Data analysis techniques
- Critical evaluation skills
- Reproducible research
Cognition & Culture
- Perception and attention
- Social cognition
- Cross-cultural psychology
- Individual differences
Life & Society
- Social psychology
- Developmental science
- Interpersonal relationships
- Group dynamics
Personal & Professional Development
- Ethical reasoning
- Critical thinking skills
- Communication training
- Career exploration
Advanced Opportunities
Years 2 & 3:
- Forensic Psychology stream - crime and justice
- Clinical Psychology pathway - therapeutic applications
- Research methods specialization - advanced techniques
- Cognitive neuroscience - brain imaging studies
- Cross-cultural research - international collaborations
- Applied psychology placements - real-world experience
Reflection & Discussion
Think About Today
Reflection Questions:
- How has your view of lying/deception changed?
- What surprised you most about people-watching research?
- How might these skills be useful in your future career?
- What ethical concerns do you have about these abilities?
- What questions do you still have about this research?
The Bigger Picture
Today Demonstrated:
- Psychology is a science - rigorous methods, careful analysis
- Common sense isn’t always right - myths vs. evidence
- Skills can be learned and improved - practice makes better
- Ethics matter - power requires responsibility
- Research has real applications - from lab to life
- Critical thinking is essential - question everything
Questions & Discussion
What questions do you have?
About the demonstrations, the research, the ethics, the career applications…
Take-Home Messages
Key Points to Remember:
- Psychology is sophisticated - much more complex than A-level
- Research evidence matters - don’t trust intuition alone
- Skills can be developed - you’re not stuck with current abilities
- Ethics are crucial - use knowledge responsibly
- Applications are everywhere - therapy, business, education, daily life
- Questions are more important than answers - keep wondering!
Thank You!
Welcome to University Psychology
Where assumptions go to die, and understanding is born
Contact & Follow-Up:
- Email: g.wright@gold.ac.uk
- Twitter: @ForensicGold
- Web: gold.ac.uk/forensic-psychology-unit
- Forensic Psychology Unit: Join us!
Ready to challenge everything you think you know?
Further Reading
If You Want to Explore More:
- Vrij, A. (2019) - “Detecting Lies and Deceit: Pitfalls and Opportunities”
- Quadflieg, S. & Penton-Voak, I. (2017) - “The Emerging Science of People-Watching”
- Levine, T. (2020) - “Duped: Truth-Default Theory and the Social Science of Lying”
- Ekman, P. (2009) - “Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage”
- Heath, C. & Heath, D. (2010) - “Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard”
Research Journals:
- Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
- Applied Cognitive Psychology
- Legal and Criminological Psychology
One Final Challenge
For This Week:
- Practice ethical people-watching in public spaces
- Notice your own deception - when and why do you lie?
- Question psychology claims you see in media
- Observe group dynamics in your classes or friend groups
- Research one study mentioned today - read the actual paper!
Start thinking like a psychology student NOW!
Strategic Deception & People-Watching | Goldsmiths Taster | 2025